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Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested in Florida

November 6, 2026

According to CBS News, Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested November 6 in Florida in connection with allegations he possessed child sex abuse material in storage units in California, the Justice Department announced.

According to ABC News, Markle -- who has been estranged from his daughter since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry -- is accused of keeping suspected child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, the US Attorney's Office said in a press release. Markle, 82, had been living in the Philippines since early 2025 before recently moving to Florida.

Key facts

According to CBS News, Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested November 6 in Florida in connection with allegations he possessed child sex abuse material in storage units in California, the Justice Department announced. Markle was arrested Friday, November 6, in Florida and charged with one count of possession of child sex-abuse material, according to a statement from the bureau, USA Today reports. Mr. Markle, who has denied past claims that he possessed child sex abuse material, was released after he made an initial appearance in federal court in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, but Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson ordered him to submit to home detention and electronic monitoring before his next court date, and limited his travel, The New York Times reports. Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida and is charged in the Central District of California with possession of child pornography, Los Angeles Times reports. Thomas Markle Sr was arrested by federal authorities in Florida on one count of possession of child pornography, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California on Friday, ABC News reports. Markle is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Tampa on Friday afternoon. Markle, who made his first court appearance in federal court in Tampa on Friday, entered the courtroom in a wheelchair, wearing black pants and a black T-shirt with an illustration of a cat drinking a tropical drink, CBS News reports. According to CNN, Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was placed on house arrest November 6 and faces a charge of possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice announced. Markle was arrested by federal agents in Florida before making an initial appearance in the US District Court in Tampa on Friday. According to the FBI, Markle kept child sexual-abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units that he rented for nearly two decades, USA Today reports. According to USA Today, following his arrest, Markle appeared November 6 in the United States District Court in Tampa, Florida, where Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson ordered his release on house arrest, CNN reported. Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Britain's Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was arrested on November 6 on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, found in rented storage units in California, Reuters reports. Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Fla., is charged with one count of possession of child pornography, according to the US Attorney's Office for Central District of California, CBC News reports. According to CBC News, Philippine Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla told reporters on Friday that Thomas Markle Jr. is also being investigated. Thomas Markle appeared in federal court in Tampa, Fla. If convicted, Markle faces up to 20 years in prison, Los Angeles Times reports. Los Angeles Times reports that Markle Sr reportedly left the Philippines for ongoing medical care in the US after an emergency leg amputation earlier this year. According to Los Angeles Times, in a previous statement to The Times, Meghan Markle said she was “deeply distressed” by the news. On November 6, Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was arrested on a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs of himself with naked underage girls, found in rented storage units in California, The Straits Times reports. Markle was advised that this hearing was related to the items found in two storage units in California, CBS News reports.

According to The New York Times and NYT, Mr. Markle, 82, was arrested after law enforcement officials discovered sexually explicit photographs of him with prepubescent girls in two Los Angeles-area storage units that he had rented for nearly two decades, the US attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a statement. According to Los Angeles Times, the Duchess of Sussex said she first learned of “troubling and disturbing allegations” against her father in 2019, after a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection that was later shared with her. According to BBC, the Duchess of Sussex's 82-year-old father appeared in court on November 6 charged with one count of possessing indecent images of children, the US Department of Justice said. The FBI began its investigation of Markle in October, according to its affidavit, after hearing from a witness who said they had discovered suspected child abuse material among Markle's possessions in the Philippines, Reuters reports. The FBI began receiving reports last month from witnesses regarding Markle Sr., according to the complaint, Los Angeles Times reports. According to Los Angeles Times, Philippine authorities previously told reporters that the FBI and US authorities were conducting their own investigation into the older Markle. The FBI learned that the person — identified only as Witness 1 — had signed an affidavit regarding their discovery of suspected child pornography among Markle Sr.’s possessions in the Philippines.

According to ABC News, Markle -- who has been estranged from his daughter since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry -- is accused of keeping suspected child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades, the US Attorney's Office said in a press release. According to CNN, Bill Essayli said, “Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls”. Markle, 82, had been living in the Philippines since early 2025 before recently moving to Florida, ABC News reports.

The New York Times and NYT agree that the couple’s relationship with Mr. Markle, a former Hollywood lighting designer, has been a subject of intense scrutiny since before their 2018 wedding, when palace officials announced days before the ceremony that Mr. Markle would not attend. The figures for image do not match from one account to the next. If convicted, Markle Sr. would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, CBS News reports. As a condition of his release, Markle will not be allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, per the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, USA Today reports. Markle is also not permitted to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, CBS News reports. Markle is not allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, CNN reports. According to CNN, Markle has not entered a plea, the office said. Thomas Markle Sr. did not attend the wedding, Los Angeles Times reports. Markle — wearing a sloppy and stained shirt showing a sunglasses-clad cat sipping an iced coffee — scowled as cameras snapped him being placed into custody by FBI agents at Maravida Senior Living in Lakeland, New York Post reports. According to the California criminal complaint, authorities identified the location of some of the photos in the storage unit as being in the Philippines, Los Angeles Times reports. According to the complaint, he has rented the units since 2008 and the most recent payments for both were made automatically last month, Los Angeles Times reports. Los Angeles Times reports that according to a criminal complaint against him, federal authorities found explicit photos of Markle and minors in the Los Angeles-area storage units. After obtaining search warrants, authorities seized about 27 items, including slides, film negatives and books, from the first unit.

According to AP, Essayli said, “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law”.

Essayli

Still developing

The figures for image do not match from one account to the next. If convicted, Markle Sr. would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, CBS News reports. As a condition of his release, Markle will not be allowed to travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, per the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, USA Today reports.

How settled the reporting is

Reported 94% · Contested 1% · Developing 5%

Sources

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